Kat Langford (Beta Timeline)
"Cats have nine lives, right? Pretty sure I'm getting close to number eight." - K. Langford There is a sound of thunder afar, ''Storm in the south that darkens the day, ''Storm of battle and thunder of war, ''Well, if it do not roll our way. ''Form! form! Riflemen form! ''Ready, be ready to meet the storm! ''Riflemen, riflemen, riflemen form! - The War, by Alfred Lord Tennyson Bio Kat Langford was born on the 31st of August, 2058, in Phoenix, Arizona. Her mother died through complications with the birth of Kat, and later it would be realised that Kat had latent magical abilities, namely Adept powers. Her father, honouring his late wife's last request by moving to her hometown of Little Rock (Arkansas), raised Kat poorly, filled with anger at his wife's death, which he blamed squarely on Kat. Suffering through an abusive childhood, Kat went to McKinley Elementary, where she met Joel Love, and his three brothers. The Loves owned a farm on the outskirts of town, and the whole family were infamous Adepts. Joel, being highly perceptive in the nature of his talents, would often notice the faint bruises that marred Kat's skin, and ultimately understood the full reasoning behind her quiet persona, though he never pried into Kat's family life, and instead provided her with a friendship that she desperately needed. When Kat turned seventeen, her life changed dramatically. Arguing with her father one evening, Kat found herself at the receiving end of another one of her dad's drunken beatings. Unfortunately, Kat's Adept talents decided that this was the time to take hold of Kat's physiology. In an abrupt wave of magical power, Kat fought back, ultimately killing her father with a crucial punch to the head that caved in his skull. Kat was arrested and sentenced to fifteen years in prison, but whilst journeying to confinement, her prison bus was apprehended by none other than the Love brothers. Joel, Eric, Liam, and David, all assisted in breaking Kat free, and the five of them went on the run for six days, before ultimately ending up in a shoot-out with the police. The group were arrested, and, after standing trial, it was discovered that only Kat and Joel had not killed or fired at any police officers, and so were sentenced to military service, whereas the rest of the brothers were sent to a high security prison. Kat is currently serving in Columbia, under Sgt. Brian West, as part of the squad designation 'Tombstone'. She has been part of the squad for four years, obtaining the rank of Corporal after proving herself on the battlefield. She tends to fight alongside Joel when in combat, the two using their Adept talents in tandem to act as a force to be reckoned with. Personality Despite having a heavily neglected childhood, Kat's social habits were somewhat salvaged by her best friend Joel, who she met on the first day of Pre School, and became good friends with for the rest of her education. She additionally got on well with Joel's brothers, who all saw Kat as a younger sister, even David, who was technically a little younger than Kat herself. Regardless, Kat still has difficulty meeting new people, and tends to form rooted relationships, rather than flighty ones. Though not shy about using her powers, Kat is somewhat constantly awe-strucked by what she can do as an Adept. Her speed and strength, exceeding the boundaries of human ability, continue to be a source of pride for Kat, and a constant source of entertainment between her and Joel, as the two tend to compete over every physical discipline. When Kat began considering starting a relationship with Ashley, she spoke to Joel about this, unsure of how to breach the topic of romance with the doctor. Though quick to tease his quasi-adopted sibling, Joel gave grounded advice to Kat, giving her the confidence to ask Ashley out. Ashley and Kat's relationship has flourished over the four months they have been dating, and Kat's confidence has grown as a result, as well as her happiness. Kat, one the whole, is a friendly person, who enjoys having a large social net. Notes Kat plays guitar regularly, as she finds the practice soothing. Whenever her father was particularly abusive, Kat would hide on the roof of their home, knowing her dad would not be able to reach her. Kat would use this time to look at the stars, and became interested in constellations through this. Before arriving in Columbia, Kat and Joel used one of their last days of freedom to get matching Qi tattoos on their shoulders, providing them with mystical armour. After mustering the courage to ask Ashley if she would like to go star-gazing sometime, the two began dating. While on their first date, Ashley expressed her desire to see space, and travel amongst the stars. She jokingly said if they were ever lucky enough to explore the cosmos, she would buy Kat dinner. Kat secretly keeps a stuffed toy elephant under her pillow, though this is known by no one but Joel. It was given to her by her mother, shortly before she died. Joel is sworn to secrecy about its existence, under penalty of death.